NATO Ministries of Defense and Transparency of Job Roles of Civilian Personnel: Openness or Secrecy?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The transparency of the job roles of civilian personnel has emerged as an important aspect to consider in the framework of the transformation of the ministries or departments of defense in NATO member countries, but also in non-NATO countries. Acknowledged internationally as significant to successful and democratic policy-making, defense ministries are expected to ensure an increased openness toward the public. This article concentrates on the job roles of civilian personnel of the defense ministries and the regulation of the level of their transparency. The assumption was to see a large presence of transparency practices in the defense ministries. While the overwhelming pattern is that there is some transparency provided of job roles, in many of countries researched it is seen that the job roles of the civilian personnel of the defense ministries are not public. It is found that the transparency practices reflect different legal systems and defense characteristics.